136 SECTIONAL ADDRESSES. 



In electrical engineering, although this branch no doubt includes 

 engineers without mechanical training, I would venture to say that the 

 engineer is in an infinitely stronger position if he has received some training 

 first as a mechanical engineer and specialised in electrical engineering 

 afterwards. 



A further important branch of the mechanical engineer's work is 

 represented by the maintenance of machinery in the large steel works 

 throughout the country and in the mills and factories of all descriptions. 

 The directors of these companies are largely dependent on the advice of 

 the engineer-in-charge in giving consideration to developments and the 

 introduction of new types of plant to maintain production on an economic 

 basis. 



In mechanical engineering I must include the very important subject 

 of machine-tool construction, a branch of engineering which has made 

 very great strides and introduced many changes of design to meet new 

 requirements in the last thirty years. Mass production on an economical 

 basis in many industries has been the direct result of various tool-makers 

 being able to produce special tools confined to the production of thousands 

 of identical articles of a complicated design. I refer to articles produced 

 at a cost of one-tenth to one-twentieth of what would be possible without 

 machine tools specially designed for the purpose. 



The introduction of high-speed tool steel enabling far heavier cuts to 

 be taken both by lathes and planing machines has rendered obsolete a 

 large quantity of machine tools throughout the country, and the intro- 

 duction of the electric drive has also brought about great changes in the 

 design of machine tools. We hear to-day of some works in other countries 

 without a single machine tool at work of pre-war date, a most desirable 

 state of things, but one which, unhappily, the economic circumstances in 

 this country have rendered impossible up to the present time. In principle 

 we have to admit that with our relatively high wages and general charges 

 on industry, taxation, etc., it is not economical to continue to use machine 

 tools which can be superseded by modern tools doing a greater volume 

 of work in a given time, but many firms throughout the country are only 

 able to act on this principle gradually owing to financial reasons. 



We hear very strong rumours of the advent of a new type of tool 

 steel, if it can be called steel at all, which is going to bring about a greater 

 change in output than was represented by the introduction of high-speed 

 steel some years ago. If this becomes an accomplished fact it is good 

 news for the toolmakers throughout the country, although it may not be 

 equally welcomed by the many large firms already equipped at con- 

 siderable capital charge with reasonably modern tools. With such keen 

 competition, however, and the power of over-production at present existing 

 in the country, no firm can afiord to ignore the march of progress and will 

 have to recognise the necessity for introducing machine tools of the most 

 efficient type even at considerable financial sacrifice. 



May I make a suggestion to the toolmakers in this country ? When 

 we are putting down an important new machine tool I find the makers will 

 give every possible help in meeting our requirements in design and output, 

 but they rarely follow up and ascertain what the real performance of the 

 tool has been. To many of them ' no news is good news.' I think this 



